WVU Announces That Wrestling Coach Will Not Be Retained

West Virginia University director of athletics Shane Lyons announced that wrestling head coach Sammie Henson’s contract will not be renewed for the 2018-19 season.

“I want to thank Coach Henson for his time here leading our wrestling program,” Lyons said. “We will immediately begin a national search to identify our next wrestling coach. I firmly believe WVU can excel in wrestling, and I look forward to our future success.”

In his four years at West Virginia, Henson compiled a 27-39 overall record and a 5-14 Big 12 mark. His 2018 squad finished 6-7, ninth at the Big 12 Tournament and 30th at the NCAA Championships with one All-American.

Wow. I was actually more concerned after last season that he would not be retained. There were some unflattering rumors flying around last year that seemed to go away with time. This year, the team actually showed marked improvement compared to last year. I didn’t hear the things I was hearing before and thought the ship had turned. I wish him luck in the future.

Definitely a surprise. If it’s performance-based only, AD Shane Lyons has set a high bar for all programs. Henson had slowly improved the program, and while WVU has some wrestling areas in PA to recruit from, it’s a far cry from the midwest.

Competing against the B12 teams is tough. Those guys have been very good for many years. Recruiting guys that want to compete against the best should be a little easier. Western PA / WV area is good, but not nearly strong enough to compete at the top of the B12. Henson made very good improvement this year on the mat. But I guess it just wasn’t enough. Most likely there was a difference of opinion in the direction of the program between he and Shane.